John Lennon never held back when he had something to say, and in 1971, he made sure Paul McCartney heard him loud and clear. His song “How Do You Sleep?” wasn’t just a diss track—it was a full-blown attack. It was his response to McCartney’s subtle jab in “Too Many People”, but Lennon took things to another level.
The song was brutal, but the original version was even worse. Lennon didn’t just criticize McCartney’s music—he outright accused him of stealing. He claimed one of McCartney’s biggest Beatles songs wasn’t as original as everyone thought.
This accusation wasn’t just a passing insult. Lennon believed McCartney had lifted elements from his work and wasn’t afraid to say it. The rivalry between the two had already been brewing, but this took it to an entirely new level.
Lennon’s Scathing Response
Lennon didn’t hold back when he fired back at McCartney. “How Do You Sleep?” was more than just a response to “Too Many People”—it was a direct and brutal attack. Every lyric was dripping with resentment, making it clear that their post-Beatles feud had escalated to a new level.
He later compared it to Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone”, calling it a song built on raw emotion. “It’s using somebody as an object to create something,” Lennon admitted, according to Beatles Bible. He saw it as a way to channel his frustration, but the result was one of the most vicious songs he ever wrote.
Despite the harsh lyrics, Lennon insisted he wasn’t feeling overly vicious at the time. He claimed the song was more about creative expression than deep-seated hatred. “Let’s put it that way,” he said, though the intensity of the track suggested otherwise.
A Brutal Lyrical Attack
From the very first verse, “How Do You Sleep?” made it clear that Lennon wasn’t holding back. The lyrics took direct shots at McCartney, mocking his work and questioning his legacy. It wasn’t just a response—it was a full-scale lyrical assault.
Lines like, “The only thing you done was Yesterday / And since you’ve gone you’re just Another Day,” hit especially hard. In the original version, Lennon went even further, accusing McCartney of stealing Yesterday. He threw doubt on McCartney’s claim that the melody came to him in a dream.
Lennon’s anger spilled over in the studio as well. During the recording session, he was caught singing, “How do you sleep, you c**?”* It was a clear sign of just how deep the resentment ran between the two former bandmates.
Insults Went Too Far
Lennon didn’t hold back while recording “How Do You Sleep?”. According to his friend Felix Dennis, the session was filled with harsh insults, many of which never made it into the final cut. Some of the jabs were so extreme that even those in the studio felt uncomfortable.
“Some of it was absolutely puerile,” Dennis recalled in Many Years From Now by Barry Miles. He compared the atmosphere to schoolboys making crude jokes, emphasizing just how personal and cutting Lennon’s words were.
Even Ringo Starr, who was in the studio with George Harrison, felt it had gone too far. As the session grew more intense, Ringo finally spoke up. “That’s enough, John,” Dennis remembered him saying, clearly disturbed by the song’s direction.
McCartney’s Reaction
McCartney was deeply hurt by the song. The lyrics weren’t just a critique—they felt like a personal attack. He was especially bothered by the claim that “Yesterday” was the only good song he had ever written. Still, as much as it stung, he didn’t want to escalate the feud any further.
“I didn’t want to get into a slanging match,” he later explained. He had every opportunity to hit back in interviews or release his own response song. But after some thought, he decided against it. “No, I really mustn’t,” he told himself, choosing to take the high road instead of fueling the fire.
Despite the hostility at the time, their relationship didn’t stay bitter forever. Within a few years, things between Lennon and McCartney had softened. The anger faded, and while they were never as close as before, they found a way to move past the worst of it.